Camping essentials include staying safe

Our ancient ancestors never thought of sleeping under the stars as camping. They probably just considered it the natural state of living and would scratch their fuzzy heads at the thought that far in the future humans would leave warm and cozy homes for a more primitive lifestyle.

But considering that we are willing to live with less to “get away from it all,” there is a list of items that a modern camper should not do without and any hunter gatherer would be proud to own.

The checklist was compiled with various lists assembled by Mountain Equipment Co-Op and with the hard-won insights of Brian Obee, a Vancouver Island-based journalist and accomplished camper who cycled up and down the 1,800-kilometre southern route of the Trans Canada Trail in British Columbia over three weeks to write a 2008 guide book on the subject.

Emergency space blanket. Not much bigger than a book of matches, carry one for every person on the trip.

Whistle. A whistle commands attention, it can be heard over long distances and it can be done for longer periods than shouting for help. Three blasts is a standard distress signal.

Cellular phone. Even in the middle of nowhere, Mr. Obee and his partner often got a surprisingly strong cellular signal, which could come in useful in an emergency or when you want a quick “civilization fix.”

Maps of the areas you will be travelling through.

A dedicated GPS unit. “The problem with GPS on your smartphone is it sucks up the battery pretty quick,” Mr. Obee says.

A good sleeping bag. Here, the synthetic versus natural debate rears its head. Mr. Obee prefers good old-fashioned down bags for their comfort, warmth and light weight, all essentials when travelling through mountainous terrain. The knock against down compared with synthetic materials is that it is slower to dry after getting wet.

The right tent. If you are not driving or pulling your accommodations in the form of a camper unit, you’re probably not in the market for a tent. For everyone else, start by figuring out how many people need to fit in a tent and the season you’ll be camping in, and go from there. Mr. Obee and his partner opted for dual two-person tents on their 23-day cross-B.C. adventure.

Compass. Even if you are carrying a GPS, it is essential that you can navigate using a map and compass.

Water. You can’t live without it.

Water purification system. You might not be able to boil water every time you need it. * * * * Consider a chemical water treatment kit.

Extra food. You can always eat it later.

Extra clothes. Rain happens.

Good boots. Again, weather happens and there is not much worse than wet feet.

Headlamp/flashlight. Thanks to long-lasting LED technology, these are now lighter and longer lasting than conventional lights.

Large orange plastic bag. One of the oddest items on Mountain Equipment Co-op’s lists of must-have items for hiking/camping, the retailer advises that hikers and campers can “crawl into the bag to keep warm and dry” and “the orange colour is highly visible and helps attract attention, particularly from the air.”

The Bear Essentials according to Mr. Obee. “When I was riding I had ‘bear bangers’ on one side of my handlebars [blank .22 rifle cartridges that produce a satisfying and hopefully bear-scaring bang] and on the other side I had bear spray, pepper spray.” Mr. Obee and his partner did not have to use either device on their trip but they did encounter 15 bears along the way.

“Bears are an issue,” he added. “In fact in the north (of B.C.) we talked to one park ranger and she said she doesn’t even hike in bush without pepper spray in her hand.”

Mr. Obee, who notes Vancouver Island has the highest density of bears in the province, makes plenty of noise and keeps bear spray close at hand when hiking. “It has to be somewhere you can get it quickly if it is buried in your pack you are going to get eaten,” he says with a chuckle.

A final safety issues to consider: Does anyone else know where you are going, who you are going with and when you are supposed to be back? Even experienced hikers and campers need to tell family and friends where they are going and when they are expected to return so that if they run into trouble and are overdue, authorities know where to start looking for them.